


Can You Stay

by limegreentealblue



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24628645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limegreentealblue/pseuds/limegreentealblue
Summary: TenTen is not able to sleep after Neji's death.  Worried about his friend, Rock Lee comes to comfort his friend and makes sure she gets a good night's rest.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Rock Lee/Maito Gai | Might Guy, Rock Lee/Tenten
Kudos: 11





	Can You Stay

What seemed like a thousand large hands reached into the sky. “Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs” was heard. As Neji turned, one of the large wooden sprigs cut off his band. With a clang, the metal hit the ground. Naruto used his Rasen Shuriken to fend off some of the large hands. Hinata jumped in front to protect him. Almost out of nowhere, Neji took the blunt of the blow protecting his cousin and Naruto. Wooden steaks pierced his back. Naruto screamed for the medical team to come help. “Neji’s dead,” seemed to echo through the crowd.

Tenten clutched onto her pillow as if her life depended on it. She opened her eyes and wiped the tears that had formed in her sleep. “Not again,” she murmured. If she was honest with herself, she was sure she slept better during the Great Ninja War, but every night she relived Neji’s death. She sat up and looked out the bedroom window. The sky was still dark. She looked over at her alarm clock. 4:43 am flashed in fluorescent green. She pulled her body out of bed. She put her dark brown hair into buns, pulled on some clothes, and went down to the training grounds.

Even during times of peace, TenTen made sure she trained every morning. The training grounds were a lonely solemn place. For years, Neji and TenTen sparred together every morning while Guy Sensei and Lee worked on their taijustsu, and now she was alone throwing shuriken and kunai knives at targets by herself. They would all join together to do pushups, pull-ups, and various other physical exercises.

Finally, the sun had risen. The birds chirped through the trees, and a calming breeze rustled the leaves. The wind felt good against the woman’s skin. She sat down on the nearest stump and wiped the sweat from her brow as her teammate and sensei appeared. “Isn’t this the pinnacle of youth? Our young flower has arrived before us!” Exclaimed Might Guy in his normal cheerful self.

“Right you are, sensei. Her dedication is something to admire,” Rock Lee chimed in. 

Unfortunately, TenTen felt the exact opposite of her teammate and leader. She tried to force a smile, but it falter. The dark circles under her eyes were prominent. She stifled a yawn. Rock Lee knelt by her side. “My friend, are you unwell?” He asked concerned as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

She shook her head and responded. “I’m fine, Lee. I just haven’t slept well last night.” She closed her eyes and she imagined Neji’s face. 

“A good night’s rest is imperative to being at top strength,” Rock Lee chimed. TenTen weakly smiled. Guy Sensei recognized the light that once lit TenTen’s brown eyes had diminished. He recognized that look before. He remembered his dearest rival’s gaze after Rin died. Kakashi’s gaze looked as if all life and hope had vanished.

It was no secret to Guy and Lee that Neji and TenTen were best friends, partners, and romantically involved. Lee had caught TenTen grasping for Neji’s hand whenever they walked behind them. Neji was always the first person to jump to the young female’s aid whenever she was in danger. At night, TenTen’s head would fall on Neji’s shoulder whenever exhaustion overwhelmed her. While the couple was never public about their relationship, they never tried to hide it from their team.

Guy said to his student, “TenTen, how long have you been training this morning?”

“About 5 hours,” she responded as she stared blankly at the ground.

“The pinnacle of youth! Your passion for your training knows no bounds. Go home and get some rest,” Guy exclaimed. TenTen yawned once more and nodded before she went to her apartment. When she was out of earshot, Guy looked at his disciple. “Tonight, you should check on her. She needs her teammate.”

That evening, Rock Lee knocked on TenTen’s door tentatively. He wore his standard green jump suit and bright orange leg warmers. In his hand, he had a brown paper bag filled with take-out. His female partner opened the door. Her face was wet and puffy as if she had just finished crying. “Lee, what are you doing here?” She asked.

“My dear TenTen, I have come to comfort you,” Lee announced. “May I come in?” 

She nodded in response. He put the bag down on the table. As soon as he stood back up, he felt his friend’s arms around his shoulders. Her head was buried in his chest. “Thank you,” she said quietly. He hugged her back and smiled into her brown hair. 

The two enjoyed dinner together. Lee enthusiastically recounted one of Guy and Kakashi’s contests from earlier that afternoon. TenTen finally seemed ready to sleep. She looked at her friend and asked, “Can you stay tonight?”

“Are you sure?” Lee asked as a slight blush covered his cheeks.

“We have gone on missions together before and slept close to one another. It’s the same as that except we’re in my apartment,” she responded.

They climbed into TenTen's full sized bed. A thin lavender blanket covered them. Rock Lee's arms snaked around his friend's waist as she inched closer to him. "Thank you," she murmured into his chest before she fell asleep. It was the first night in 6 months that she slept throughout the night.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in a long time, and I recently started watching the Naruto Shippuden series. So this is a quick one-shot about my favorite team.


End file.
